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AbbySmithandAshleyRager
Hooper
English2
22March2016
BloodDiamonds
Things Changed rapidly in a matter of seconds and no one had any control over
anything. We had yet to learn these things and implement survival tactics, which was what it
came down to as said by Ishmael Beah on page 29of
ALongWayGone.Thisbookisabout
the hardships of a child soldier in Africa, and the diamond rush there caused many people, like
Ishmael, to go through the same situations. Blood diamonds around the world are greatly
affecting the innocent people of countries, environment, and more. Even though these
detrimental factors are a major part of the diamond trade, citizens of the countriesinvolvedstill
thinktheycouldbebeneficialtotheoveralleconomy.
In 1867, diamonds were discovered in South Africa and the rush began. Later on, in
1871, the firstindustrialdiamondminewascreated.In1880amannamedCecilRhodesfounded
a company called De Beers. He bought out almost all diamond claims in the area by 1887, and
joinedtheDiamondSyndicate,theallianceofdiamondmerchants(Forman17).
In some wartorn areas, diamonds are used to fund rebellious military groups. These
diamonds arecalledblooddiamonds,orconflictdiamonds(Forman78).Incomparisontothese,
there are also diamonds mined from Canada and Australia that are considered to be clean
diamonds and also more popular among buyers because it doesnt finance therebels andpeople
arent suffering for the cause. In spite of initial hard work and good luck,however,manyofthe

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early miners were unable to hold onto the areas they claimed in exception to the Englishman,
Cecil Rhodes (Forman 1617). For example, in Sierra Leone 20,000 innocent people suffered
bodily mutilation, 75,000 were killed, and 2 million fledthecountryalonealltogether(Howthe
African).Africaitselfsuppliesabout60percentoftheworld'sdiamonds(HowtheAfrican).
Various countries in Africa have been affected by civil wars caused the sale of blood
diamonds. Experts say that this has produced billions of dollars to fundwarsandotherconflicts
in various African nations such as Sierra Leone, Angola, Liberia, Ivory Coast, and the
Democratic Republic of Congo (How the African). For example, Angola had several civil wars
from 1975 to 2002 (Ending the Trade) as well as the DemocraticRepublicofCongowhosewar
lasted from 1997 to 1999 in which blood diamonds were sold to arm rebelling groups (Map of
Africas). Multiple countries have also been knowntocommitthesmugglingofblooddiamonds
overtheborders.
Some diamondminesinAfricaweretakenoverbyEuropeancompanieswhileothers, the
government such as the Ivory Coast, who had a military group overthrow their government in
1999 (Forman 78). However, weak governments cannot enforce laws on the diamond mines,
resulting in being taken over by rebel groups. Blood diamonds are minedandsoldbythetroops
in whichtheproceedsare usedtofundwarlords,othermilitarygroups,andterrorists(Forman9).
The finances used towards these various activities are why blooddiamondsareconsidered tobe
illegal, and the actions caused by the mining also have harmful effects on thepeopleinthearea
as well as the environment. Firstly, humanitarian problems arose because workers lived under
harsh conditions in mining areas, and also had little to no pay for their labor (Forman 9).
Additionally, the environment is also greatly impacted by the diamond trade. Even though

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technology has improved in thefield,unfortunatelyitisstilldamagingtheenvironment(Forman
10).
While some say diamond trade should be cut off because of these damaging effects,
others argue thatthesellofblooddiamondscouldimprovetheeconomyoftheircountrybecause
of the finances,andcouldalsobethedifferencesbetweenstarvationandstability(Forman11).
Incomparison,effortshavebeenmadetoreducesalesinthediamondmarket
In 2002 a process was implemented to help prevent blood diamonds from entering the
market. Thiswascalledthe KimberleyProcessCertificationScheme,ortheKCPS,thatmonitors
the trade of diamonds to help ensure that the sales are not funding conflicts(EndingtheTrade).
According to DeBeers, a company in the KCPS, more than 70 countries participate in the the
process (How the African). For instance, some countries included are Guinea, Central African
Republic, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa,
Swaziland, Lesotho, and some that were also engaged in civil war (Map of Africas).However,
even though efforts have been have been made to help ensure that sale arent going towards
violence, theactofsmugglingmakesitimpossibletocompletelyannihilatethem.Tohelpensure
that you dont purchase a blood diamond, you can ask your jeweler aboutthecompanyspolicy
on blood diamonds, the origin of the diamonds, and if they could insure in writing that the
diamondisnotablooddiamond.
Finally, African countries arent the only places the diamonds affect. Even India, in
which many of the diamonds are polished, struggles with illegal child labor and other
humanitarian problems (Forman 10). Even so, the sale of blood diamonds can be stopped and
thesecountriescanberestored.Itwilljusttakealotoftimeandcooperation.

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WorksCited
"EndingtheTradeofBloodDiamonds."MCTGraphicsService.2006.StudentEdition.Web.3
Mar.2016.
Forman,LillianE.TheDiamondTrade.Edina,Minn.:ABDOPub.,2011.Web.
"HowtheAfricanDiamondTradeWorks."
HowStuffWorks
.2008.Web.17Mar.2016.
"MapofAfricasBloodDiamondsTrade."MCTGraphicsService.2010.StudentEdition.Web.
21Mar.2016.

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Outline
I.GeneralInformation
A.History
B.Statistics
C.Whatarethey?
II.PeopleInvolved
A.Countriesdealingwiththetrade
B.RUF
III.Effects
A.HarmfulConsequences
B.Compareprosandcons
C.Calltoaction/KimberleyProcess